Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the reported disparity of treatment between Palestinians accused of throwing stones and Israelis accused of the same action.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government has concerns about Israel's use of a dual court system whereby Palestinians, except East Jerusalem residents, are subject to the Israeli military court system, irrespective of the charge, whereas Israeli settlers are dealt with by the Israeli civil justice system. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv last raised the issue of settler violence and the importance of accountability with the Israeli Ministry of Justice on 29 October. They also raised the case of the death of a Palestinian woman after stones were thrown at her car in the West Bank on 13 October, which is under investigation.

Jerusalem: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations theyhave made to the government of Israel regarding the banning of Palestinian flags in East Jerusalem.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities, we recognise that freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest are fundamental human rights. The UK is firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and compliance with international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We will continue to raise concerns with the Israeli Government on compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law in the context of Israel’s occupation of the OPTs.

West Bank: Demolition

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in placeto protect Palestinians living in the West Bank who wish to repair, improve or extend existing buildings from stop-work and demolition orders directed by the government of Israel.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We call on the Israeli authorities to cease the policy of demolitions and instead provide a transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C that includes enabling Palestinians to repair, improve or extend existing buildings. The UK has also allocated £1.1 million to support essential infrastructure for vulnerable Palestinians in Area C. We are supporting four communities comprising nearly 500 Palestinian families living in Area C to remain on their land through improved infrastructure and access to community services, including education and health, in areas which have an outline plan in the Israeli approval process.

Jerusalem: Churches

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations theyhave made to the government of Israel regarding the proposal to confiscate land belonging to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv have made representations to the Israeli authorities about this matter. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and Consulate General in Jerusalem are closely following developments. We encourage the parties to uphold the status quo in Jerusalem.

Palestinians: Universities

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the obstacles to and restrictions on (1) student access to, and (2) the proper functioning of, Palestinian universities created by the government of Israel; and whether they intend to make representations to that government to mitigate such restrictions.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​While we have not made any assessment on this particular issue, we consistently urge Israel to ease movement and access restrictions across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, not least because of the impact that the restrictions have on continuity of education.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the behaviour of Israeli forces towards Palestinian children travelling to and from school; and whether they intend to take steps to discourage any harassmentof children by those forces.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​​​While we have not made any assessment on this particular issue, an official from our Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly meets the British Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme volunteers to hear about their experiences of monitoring checkpoints and providing a protective presence to children on their way to and from school. We have stressed the importance of the Israel Security Forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Syria: Armed Conflict

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they were not represented at the Summit on the Syrian conflict on 27 October in Istanbul.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We support all efforts to end the Syria conflict. The meeting in Istanbul on 27 October was a one-off summit at Turkey's initiative with the aim of bridging differences between members of the Syria Small Group and the Astana guarantors (Russia, Iran, Turkey). We worked with France, Germany and Turkey in advance of the summit and hosted a meeting of the Syria Small Group on 29 October to agree next steps. We would expect to be involved were the summit to develop into a continuing process.

Khalida Jarrar

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Israel about the administrative detention imposed since July 2017 of Ms Khalida Jarrar, an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Assembly; and if so, what response they received.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention. According to international law, this should be used only when security makes it absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice, and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees.

Department for International Development

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Immigration

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what elements of the Department for International Development's Safety, Support and Solutions Programme for Refugees and Migrants in Europe and the Mediterranean have been focused on supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina in managing the impact of migration affecting the country since 2016.

lord bates: DFID’s Safety, Support and Solution programme has not included funding to support Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Immigration

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they have provided for the International Organisation for Migration and International Committee of the Red Cross operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina following the influx of migrants into the country since 2016.

lord bates: The UK is a long-standing supporter of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), reflecting our shared commitment to ensuring that UK aid reaches the most marginalised. Across 2016 and 2017, the UK contributed in excess of £100m to IOM and £300m to the ICRC in support of their work with those affected by humanitarian crises. It is not possible to disaggregate the amount of this funding utilised in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2016. The Department for International Development has also committed to provide IOM with an annual contribution of £6m, and ICRC with £63m core unearmarked funding (up to 2021). This funding will enable both IOM and the ICRC to continue their critical work with some of the world’s most vulnerable, as well as ambitious system-wide improvements to deliver the greatest possible impact for those most in need.

Department for Education

Children: Social Services

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to allocate additional funding to children’s services.

lord agnew of oulton: Autumn Budget 2018 made £410 million available to local authorities, in 2019/20, for adult and children social care. The government also announced £84 million in targeted, evidence-based interventions which will transform services to reduce demand, saving money for local authorities but most importantly, improving the quality of services for our most vulnerable children.The government will continue to work closely with the sector and other government departments to consider long-term children’s services funding as part of the upcoming spending review.

Ministry of Defence

Trident Submarines

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the extra £1 billion for defence in 2018–19 and 2019–20 announced in the budget will be for the Dreadnought programme.

earl howe: The £1 billion for Defence announced in the 2018 Budget is additional funding to ensure that the Armed Forces can continue to modernise and invest in key priority capabilities. We will decide how much of this funding is for Dreadnought as part of our normal budgeting process.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Eggs

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of free range egg production.

lord gardiner of kimble: Over the years, the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC), has provided Government with advice on all laying hen production systems, including free range systems. FAWC recognises that the key to ensuring the health and welfare of farm animals in different production systems is stockmanship and the correct application of husbandry standards. As part of a programme of reforms to safeguard and enhance the welfare of animals, Defra’s new statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Laying Hens and Pullets came into force in August. It provides improved and up-to-date guidance for owners and keepers on how to comply with legislation relating to all permitted production systems, including free range systems.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the resources available to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to deliver the legislation needed to prepare for Brexit by the time of UK leaves the EU.

lord gardiner of kimble: Defra has an ambitious legislation programme to prepare for the UK’s departure from the EU and has been preparing in earnest. We have acquired staff with legislative experience from other Government departments, formed a Legislative Strategy, Capability and Better Regulations team within Defra, and bolstered our capability across the department to help with coordination and upskilling. As a result, we are confident that we can deliver our legislative programme to ensure that we have a working statute book on the day we leave the EU.

Department for International Trade

Free Zones

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for free trade zones in the UK.

baroness fairhead: We will consider all options that have the potential to support trade and promote economic growth, including free trade zones. We will carefully examine the advantages and risks associated with them before any final decision is made.